ABC facing calls to relinquish New Year fireworks coverage after renewed criticism

The ABC’s coverage of the New Year fireworks in Sydney has come in for major criticism from hundreds of viewers and media outlets for the second year in succession, and calls to relinquish the rights to a commercial broadcaster.

In it Claire Harvey wrote: “I’m a devoted ABC viewer and even I found the coverage patronising, amateurish, tedious and intermittently baffling.”

Viewers took to social media to vent their anger at the coverage (click to enlarge)

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Hundreds of viewers took to Facebook and Twitter to criticise the coverage, which at one point saw HG Nelson’s head blocking a camera showing the fireworks, labelling it amongst other things “embarrassing” and “awful”.

Among the criticisms were too many mentions of the ABC’s funding cuts, and poor vision of the fireworks at midnight and overly long and uncomfortable interviews with guests.

The show was hosted by Julia Zemiro and actor Toby Truslove, with crosses to Tom Ballard, Lawrence Mooney, Charlie Pickering and Adam Zwar amongst others. At the end of te broadcast Zemiro was heard saying “oh thank God” when she thought her microphone had been turned off.

Yesterday the ABC had promised “unrivalled coverage” of the event with nine cameras, a helicopter and “Australian first” use of drones to capture footage.

This morning the ABC claimed the broadcast was watched by 4m viewers nationally, up from 3.7m last year for the whole broadcast, with 2m tuning into the main channel and ABC News 24 for the fireworks coverage between 11.55pm and 12.22am, giving it a 19.7 per cent audience share.

In a statement on the ratings Justin Holdforth, ABC head of sport and events said: “The Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks are an iconic and much loved event. I’m delighted that the ABC was again able to deliver a spectacular night of family entertainment to audiences across Australia”

Alex Hayes worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017 in roles including editor and head of Mumbrella Bespoke.
He has been a journalist for more than a decade working on newspapers and websites in the UK and Australia, specialising in the media and marketing sector since 2012.

The actual ABC full coverage of Sydney’s New Years Fireworks was spectacular and full credit to its producers . The one thing that marred it was the poor quality of the 2 hosts who spoiled it throughout their vocabulary and stupid remarks .Lets hope next New Years eve the powers to be select 2 better hosts to present the show as the ones last night rate 2/10

I stayed at home due to a drinking problem thinking i could still have a sober fun new
year whilst watching the ABC broadcast of the fire works with my family.unfortunately
it was such a disgrace it made me drink after two and a half years of sobriety.Happy
new year ABC .ps have a good look at yourselves i did.

I respectfully disagree with Richard, who I believe was watching a different telecast to the one we saw. It was embarrassing, poor quality TV. Don’t criticise the presenters who were being directed. The producers have lost contact with every age group.

and again tonight the leftist comedy geeks of the abc take over the 7.30 timeslot to rub whatever in the average viewers face forcing the traditional 7.30 edinburgh tattoo into a later timeslot. who is in control.

i was in a caravan park in Tasmania , and the dog licking its bum on the porch across the road was more entertaining than the abc coverage of nye . One host kept making jokes about his jacket, and how it wasn’t bought at a store, but handmade by ex abc journalists . Newsflash buddy, firstly it wasn’t funny the first time you said it, second looks like you ate a few of those journalists and have to get clothes specially made anyway

Unfortunately Jula Zemiro is never funny – her coverage of Eurovision on SBS made that clear. Someone who can be fun, insightful and not patronising or superior – and who knows when to stop talking – is what’s needed.
As for the others, I’d never heard of most of them.
The ABC shouldn’t try to compete with the commercials in terms of being puerile, but rather make use of some of their talented presenters. After all, that’s why we ABC/SBS viewers shun the commercial channels – for intelligent coverage.

Thank you to all those who commented on my spelling. Decades of hard work have gone into trying to improve it, but the dyslexia persists. It is not really all that important. Unlike the production standards of the ABC which is a topic worthy of public discussion.

Worst coverage ever. Total embarrassment. Also had my kids watching and had to change channel a couple of times when people started swearing. Not needed and the beeps were not well placed.
GIVE IT BACK TO NINE!

I quite liked it and appreciated not having to watch 1000 ads promoting next years MKR or The Block ‘twists’. Filling 4 hours is no mean feat with a climax of fireworks which are really not made for TV anyway. The pub quiz was enjoyable and I assume families would have found fun. If it was on another channel everyone would have complained anyway, it’s what social media is for.

Remember nine’s coverage of the Olympics? Eddie McGuire waffling the while time during the ceremony. You also had the constant cutting away from events if Australia wasn’t going to get a medal. It was great the coverage not being full of adverts.

I would have thought that most people would know that the ABC doesn’t broadcast events for the people or the average Australian.
It only broadcasts for it’s own self indulgence and it’s self centre inner city watchers
Speak up long and load enough and maybe next years fireworks display will be back to where it belongs with commercial TV thats represents the real Australia and not a minority

I found the coverage to be puerile and disjointed. It was particularly jarring when the program went from lame jokes, laughter and costumes to a recap of 2013, filled with plane crashes, war and other human tragedies.

ABC’s New Year’s Eve program was not as bad as 2013, but that’s not really a compliment. The presenters were embarassing and made me cringe – please tell me that this broadcast was not seen outside Australia. There’s no need to try so hard to come across as a loud mouthed bogan yobbo. Where were the talented ABC presenters ? If that’s the best you can do, please give it back to Channel 9 – at least Richard Wilkins has some style!!

The live cross to Perth in broad daylight was silly and a total embarrassment. ABC even played an episode of “Nowhere Boys” just before the Family Fireworks. Very inappropriate for young children. The hosts were unfunny and boring. Give it back to 9 and let Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson host the event. Richard Wilkins presents an ARIA countdown on the forecourt of the Opera House.

Thank goodness that Sky news on foxtel also had the nye fireworks coverage. After the 9pm fireworks on abc I quickly channel surfed. The other option was to stand outside with a sparkler in each hand and my own lame commentry!!!

“I would have thought that most people would know that the ABC doesn’t broadcast events for the people or the average Australian.
It only broadcasts for it’s own self indulgence and it’s self centre inner city watchers
Speak up long and load enough and maybe next years fireworks display will be back to where it belongs with commercial TV thats represents the real Australia and not a minority”.

*slaps forehead* When did Mumbrella start stealing readers from the Daily Tele?

Most commenters are missing the real point.
Sydney NYE is the same boring format that it has been for the past 18 years, because the City of Sydney hasn’t got the guts or ingenuity to change it. It’s exactly the same as it was back in 1996. Not even a tiny bit different. Groundhog Night!
The Fotis do brilliant fireworks, but that’s them, not the council. And it’s the only part of “the show” that people like. The rest is garbage.
Sydney deserves better, a lot better.
This event should be removed from the hands of a local council with all the small-mindedness that entails, and taken over by the NSW government which has a more global focus and can make it a genuinely global event.

Sorry Mike, but I think it is you who is missing the point. It is not the fireworks (or events associated with it) that have been commented on here, but the second-rate ABC New Year’s Eve broadcast. The ABC does many things extremely well, especially news and current affairs. May be the problem the ABC has with covering the Sydney fireworks is nobody outside of the city really cares what is going on in Sydney on New Years Eve. So why spend money on an event which is just a parochial pyrotechnic extravaganza?

I am a big supporter of the ABC but the coverage was awful. Pixelated fireworks at strange angles (not gun barrel harbour views) and terrible comedians. Tom Ballard’s helicopter gags were just baffling. The hosts weren’t too bad and I liked the trivia components but the whole thing definitely had an amateur hour vibe. I agree it wasn’t the time or place to mention the ABC cuts.

What would have been better would be great musical performances, some of the ABC’s top reporters talking about their year and some genuinely funny stand up acts.

It’s not like the commercial networks have done any better. At least they tried to make their own content for the broadcast, instead of cutting to music videos or a Micheal Buble concert like the commercial networks have done. Maybe next year, just show the fireworks and not the 2 hours of filler. But I guess they’re are always going to be those people who resent not being able to profit of a publicly funded event.

Totally agree with Pea Green “Zameiro ruins everything she touches. She is puerile and full of herself”

Time to get her off TV period. So preoccupied with herself and not one bit humourous.

As for the ABC and its NYE producers – last year I felt they should have been sacked. They certainly did not take last year’s feedback on board and dished up the same embarrasing rubbish second time around.
So much for any market research let alone social media backlash.

Aweful commentary, music and general event aired. Clearly not as SAVVY as commercial any wonder there are cuts. A world class event only to be let down by TV station ….watched by all aroud the globe. Was not advertised leading up to the event to say FIREWORKS on ABC. We had friends watching TCN 9 thinking it would be on there.
Pity. Sorry guys but it is what it is.

I too wasn’t aware ABC had sole rights but managed to jag it on the night. I’m an old ABC fan, always have been but that NYE coverage was rubbish, ABC can do better.
Parading smart-mouthed, unfunny & little-known wannabes is not the ABC way.
A video summary of Australia in 2014 would have been nice with maybe some comedic moments well- placed for balance.
We all know it’s true: a commercial channel would use this space to constantly flog other programs and even run banner ads throughout. This event deserves zero ads. Come on ABC you can do it!

Fireworks coverage for each state featuring fireworks in their own cities is preferred. Sydney is not my home town, and is not “my ABC”.
There’s no need for exclusive rights for one channel. Bring back the competition!

Finally, commenter #53, Stuart, nails it. We know what the alternative is, it’s Richard Wilkins, there’s years (maybe even decades) of old shows to go and watch if you want to see what that’s like.

ABC’s coverage reached OK in a few patches. Some really was terrible and there was a lot of fairly desperate ad-libbing in-between to try to hold it together. But then 1 in 10 of them had just got the chop.

Too many leftie oh poor ABC with it’s bum hanging out of its trousers jokes for my liking and as for that bloke in the helicopter – in the imortal words of The Simpsons’ Ms Krabappel, “Pretty lame Milhouse.”
If they do get it again maybe try a non funny person, ie not a comedian so they can link segments. That’s why the commercial stations don’t use Mick Molloy or Dave Hughes. Boring as Wilkins, Koch, Doyle, Stefanovic, Wilkinson et al are, they are professional hosts.
If things are that dire at the ABC, maybe they shouldn’t bid for gigs like this, instead putting money where it’s needed.